Wichita protesters send message to southeast Asia

About 75 people gathered in a church parking lot Saturday afternoon had a message to send, and they didn’t let howling winds or thousands of miles separating them from their intended audience deter them.

“China! Get out of Vietnam!” they chanted. “Formosa! Get out of Vietnam!”

The protest was a show of support for national demonstrations planned Sunday in Vietnam, organizers said.

Those gathered said the government hasn’t respected human rights, and they want justice imposed on the Chinese company Formosa Steel Corp., which has been linked to a toxic spill into the South China Sea last year that killed tons of fish and devastated the local economy.

“We’re here to send a message that we are with them — they are not alone,” said Vincent Nguyen, a member of the youth group at All Saints Catholic Church on East Harry, where the protest was held Saturday afternoon. “We’ve come to voice our concern.”

Protesters brought U.S. and Vietnam flags, as well as banners and signs in English and Vietnamese. Several of those who came were veterans of the army of South Vietnam, who have made America their home now for decades.

“The government’s not standing by the people,” Le Nguyen said in the moments before the protest began.

The protest drew a camera crew from the Saigon Broadcasting Television Network, the first American 24-hour programming network entirely in Vietnamese. Similar protests were planned around the world a day ahead of the actions planned in Vietnam.

This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Wichita protesters send message to southeast Asia."